First Meeting
by Sainted Aunt
Summary: Biggles and Algy meet as children - but Biggles is not impressed


**First Meeting**

Lord Lacey arrived in India in August 1909, accompanied by his wife, his younger son Algernon Montgomery, and another Lacey relation, who was also accompanied by his wife, and twin sons, George and Edward. The purpose of Lord Lacey's trip was simply to visit the grave of his sister who had died of fever several years previously. He had been devoted to her and would have come out sooner had he been able.

It was his wife's idea to make a longer trip of the occasion and include other members of the family. Her plan was that they should call at the Bigglesworth's bungalow at Garhwal, but not stay too long– she knew it would be cramped, rather primitive and uncomfortable. Her idea was, having fulfilled the family social obligations, to go on and visit some of the hill stations to see the vast snow-capped mountains which were just beginning to be take the place of the more familiar Alpine ranges in the imagination of Edwardian England.

The three young boys were of similar age, Algernon Montgomery being nine, and the twins ten years old. Agog with excitement at every stage of the sea journey, they could scarcely wait for the moment when they transferred to the transport arranged to take them to the Assistant Commissioner's bungalow, situated at the edge, or so they had been told, of the jungle. All three were hoping to see lions, tigers, elephants, and every other animal they had seen in their picture books at home.

Thus it was somewhat of an anticlimax to find themselves stuck for three days in a neat and tidy small bungalow, with a tired-looking lawn, some shrubs, and not a sign of a wild animal – not even a snake or large spider. And, even worse, they found themselves commanded to "Be quiet boys", "Walk don't run", "Go and play quietly," as if three excited boys could remember such instructions for an hour, let alone a day, or three days.

The unwitting cause of these strictures was Algernon's cousin, ten-year-old James, who was ill in bed with fever – "not for the first time," observed Lady Lacey disapprovingly. She was a lady of firm views, one of which was that every child needed a mother, or failing that, a suitable female equivalent; another was that India was an unsuitable place to bring up any English child, let alone a sickly one.

James huddled shivering under the blankets in his bedroom, with the curtains drawn, listening to the sounds of visitors, and prayed they'd go away soon. He hated visitors. They disturbed the even pattern of his days and prevented him sneaking out to play with his Indian friends Sula and Habu nearby. Instead, he had to wear his best clothes, sit quietly for hours, and put up with the kisses of well-meaning ladies in flowery dresses, smelling strongly of perfume.

Few visitors received James' seal of approval – that was reserved for his hero the _shikari _Captain Lovell who he admired from afar, and occasional visiting explorers who could be relied upon to tell wondrous tales of excitement and danger after dinner at night. James would sit quietly on the floor behind a chair hoping his father would forget he was there. And he usually did.

James had never met his cousin Algernon Montgomery, and was perfectly happy to keep things that way. He had met, and had instantly disliked, the elder brother and heir to the Lacey title, Owen David, who had come out to India with James' brother Charles one long summer vacation. Charles had little time for his younger brother – he thought him useless and boring – and Owen David had taken his cue from Charles.

From James' point of view, if one had to have an attack of fever, it couldn't have come at a better time to save him from his relations. Not that he felt very happy – he was alternately too hot and too cold, his head ached and his eyes hurt too much to read. There was nothing to be done but lie in bed and endure until the fever abated – and by then, he hoped, the visitors would have departed.

Only one of the three visiting children had given a thought to the sick boy lying in a darkened room, other than to grumble at the innocent cause of the grown-ups's frequent admonishments, made worse by two days of rain and sticky heat. But Algernon Montgomery was a kind-hearted boy. He felt sorry that James couldn't come and play with them, and curious about the mysterious cousin he had never seen.

The third and last day of their visit was fine, and the boys stole away to take turns riding James' pony Raja. The adults were busy making plans for the next stage of their journey towards the high mountains and didn't notice the boys' disappearance.

Edward claimed the first ride as the eldest; he was born just before George, and he was a year older than Algernon. "Watch me!" he boasted, then promptly fell off. George fared a little better by hanging on to Raja's mane grimly, until she shied at something in the grass and he too fell off. Edward swore it was a snake and ran back to the bungalow, followed by George howling, but Algernon was made of sterner stuff. He caught the wandering Raja and happily spent the next half-hour trotting bare-back too and fro, waving a stick and imagining he was an explorer hunting wild animals. He was only brought back to reality when his anxious mother came to look for him.

The boys were roundly scolded for taking James' pony out without permission. Algernon mistakenly assumed his mother meant James' permission as it was his pony, and spent the afternoon wondering how he might be able to do what he felt was the right and proper thing: to apologise to his cousin.

His chance came just before tea, when everybody was occupied doing something, useful or otherwise. Algernon noticed that somebody had left James' bedroom door slightly ajar. He couldn't resist peering round the edge of the door into the room. It wasn't easy to see much because the curtains were drawn, but he could see a small mound under the bedclothes.

"Are you awake?" he whispered.

"The mound moved, a tousled head appeared, then the owner of the head sat up gingerly. "Who is it?"

"I'm Algernon Montgomery. "I'm your cousin," he added, in case further credentials were required. He moved nearer to the bed. "I've come to say sorry – I rode your pony without asking you. She's wizard!" he added impulsively. "Much more exciting than my pony at home."

James digested this information. He wasn't pleased that anybody had ridden his pony, but was somewhat mollified that this unknown cousin had praised her. "Did you fall off," he enquired hopefully.

"No, but Edward did; so did George. She turned and bit me when I got off though – look!" He waved a bandaged finger at the figure in the bed.

James peered at the finger, then at the rest of the person it was attached to. He blinked, thinking he must be seeing things. Algernon Montgomery sounded quite normal but he looked far from any normality James had ever seen.

Algernon was dressed for upper-class society tea, and hadn't yet had time to spoil the general effect by doing something he shouldn't. Despite the heat, his mother had dressed him in a velvet suit trimmed with lace and ribbons. He had long curly fairish hair which had been brushed firmly in attempt to make it tidy. The general effect was indeed that of an innocent cherub.

James was horrified. He couldn't possibly be related to such a person. He burrowed under the bedclothes hoping the vision would disappear.

Algernon had to acknowledge defeat for the moment. "Maybe we can get to know each other when you are better," he said hopefully.

To James' great relief, the next day the visitors departed and life returned to normal.


End file.
